A cop accused of exploiting the victims of a human trafficking ring will remain a Hamilton Police Service employee for at least another four months. A hearing for Sgt. Derek Mellor — a 14-year veteran — was delayed today because his lawyer was sick.

Derek Mellor was supposed to right the wrongs inflicted on a number of female victims by a human trafficking ring here in Hamilton. Instead, he had sex, with three of them.

A petition has been started asking for Mellor’s dismissal from Hamilton Police.

In a letter to the Hamilton Spectator SACHA and the Elizabeth Fry Society stated:

Of serious concern is that Mellor hopes to continue to serve as a police officer. Anything short of Mellor’s complete dismissal would send a concerning message to the community, including survivors, about a lack of police accountability.

Lee Prokaska wrote to the Spectator frustrated about the slow moving hearings:

The financial cost of delay is perhaps easiest to discern in Police Services Act matters, during which officers are suspended with pay pending the outcome of their trials. Former Hamilton police inspector David Doel, for example, faced 13 serious charges under the act. He took home more than $550,000 while suspended; manipulation of the system resulted in Doel retiring before the charges were dealt with.

Toronto Queer Zine Fair seeks to make space for traditionally marginalized voices in the zine community. While accepting applications from all self-identified queer/trans* folks, TQZF chooses to prioritize the voices of trans women, trans women of colour, queer people of colour, indigenous/two-spirited folks, and non-binary folks. Toronto Queer Zine Fair is an alternative zine fair focusing on the radical and political history/philosophy of zines and giving a platform to those often under-represented in zine culture.

Toronto Queer Zine Fair is a direct response to the lack of accessibility, queer & trans* visibility, and focus on zines represented in the “zinefests” organized annually in Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).

It took years of therapy before I could even acknowledge my betrayal and violation at the hands of a so-called “radical” man. As a survivor of domestic abuse, I was accustomed to explicit and obvious forms of violence. I didn’t expect it from someone who shared my commitment to working against it. Another part of the challenge was my being in the academy, a place that valorizes men who preach feminism while exerting their masculine power. This combined with the almost total absence of structural consequences for sexual assault made admitting my victimization almost impossible.

Julie writes:

I think this article is important because the writer offers an example of why the personal needs to be political. Too often, we respect people’s public politics and are then horrified to find out what our political allies do in their private lives. People who are from marginalized groups might feel like they have to choose their battles and not focus on gender at times, but I think this is a good reminder that all oppressions need to be righted together.

The author sharing her story of sexual assault reminded me again about how rape is about power not about sexual attraction. And also that this violence is systemic.

It’s really worth reading the whole article! At the end the author has some suggestions about how we can end sexual violence in our communities.

In January 2014, the McMaster Redsuits – the engineering student group – became subject to an investigation. This investigation was triggered when the university administration’s attention was drawn to a songbook filled with misogynistic and violent songs. Songs in the songbook include references to torture, rape, incest, bestiality and murder.